An ancient allure beckons

Camera IconSultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. Credit: The West Australian

FIRST, ON A PERSONAL NOTE...

It’s human instinct to experience, be enthralled and want to share it. Travel Club Tours are about just that for me. They are not “normal tours”, but stories to be told and unfold for the travellers alongside me.

They are also “one-offs” — unique opportunities and experiences.

I’ve led Travel Club Tour to India, Madagascar and Ethiopia. A Travel Club Tour to Oman is right up my street. I find it beguiling; laced with history and mystique.

I look forward to sharing one of my favourite places …

OMAN, SIMPLY BEGUILING

The evenings in Muscat are mellow and bewitching. There are the clean lines and symmetry of its new buildings and the jagged, bare mountains beyond, all set against the glassy Gulf of Oman.

In the hotel foyer, there are dates and Omani coffee. For lunch, there’s flatbread, hummus and other treats. Dinner is under a velvet sky.

The place is captivating, as is Muttrah souk, one of the oldest in the Middle East.

Oman was isolated until 1970, but under Sultan Qaboos bin Said the Sultanate of Oman has integrated with the modern world, invested in infrastructure, and developed relationships that make it “the Switzerland of the Middle East”. But it has cherished and kept alive its deep, desert and coast trading culture, and more than 5000 years of history and legends.

Further along the coast is Sur, with its long history of building seagoing craft, and still with a fleet of more than 100 dhows — their presence as pronounced as their sweeping, Arabian prows.

Inland at Nizwa, I climb the walls of its fort to look out over the date palms and dry landscape beyond. Down in the markets there are many types of dates and “best quality” local frankincense to be bought by the kilo.

As a child, I read these words written by author, traveller, nomad, aesthete and Arabist Wilfred Thesiger in 1947: “It was very still, with the silence which we have driven from our world.” I sit alone in the Wahiba Sands, and the thought seems even more relevant.

The Hajar Mountains rise to 3000m and hold my attention, with their green, watered wadi valleys, hanging gardens and high, narrow tracks. To stay overnight is a real highlight.

But then to board a ferry to the Musandam Peninsula is to really add a twist to the tale. This has always been a key strategic spot in the Strait of Hormuz. We visit Khasab Fort, a picturesque stronghold built in the 17th Century by the Portuguese with teak from India.

It is early and I am standing in the completely still morning under a rose-coloured sky, with a call to prayer echoing across the city.

Camera IconPottery souk, Nizwa, Oman. Credit: The West Australian

TALK ALL ABOUT IT

This exclusive Oman tour is the result of an internal competition run by Flight Centre. Their consultantswell travelled professionals — travellers helping travellers. They were challenged to come up with a Tailor Made itinerary — a full, immersive experience.

From stiff competition, (itineraries for destinations all over the world), Michelle Durrant’s Oman tour won.

In picking the winner, Stephen Scourfield said: “The itinerary really gives travellers an intimate, unforgettable immersion. But while there’s time in the mesmerising capital of Muscat to the old heart of Oman in Nizwa and the Wahiba Sands, it includes good visits to Sur and the Musandam peninsula, which is quite unusual.”

Michelle will be alongside Stephen throughout the tour, easing the journey for our guests. Talk to Michelle Durrant direct on 0403 246 331, or email michelle.durrant@ flightcentre.com.au.

Camera IconMuttrah souk is one of the oldest in the Middle East. Credit: The West Australian

DAY BY DAY

Day 2 March 6. After breakfast, explore Muscat city, nestled between the Gulf of Oman and rugged mountains. We visit the Grand Mosque and then head to Muttrah and the Bait Al Zubair Museum, and see Qasr Al Alam (His Majesty’s Palace) before heading to see the treasures of the lively Muttrah Souk. We’ll sail on a dhow and share dinner.

Day 3 March 7. We drive to Sur, famous for its dhow building, and visit Bibi Maryam Mausoleum. After lunch at Wadi Shab, we head to Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve for a two-night stay.

Day 4 March 8. We’ll spend the day in Sur, visiting a dhow building factory and the boat museum, then the Sur fish market at the corniche. Lunch will be in a local restaurant.

Day 5 March 9. We drive to Wadi Bani Khalid to swim in its freshwater pools, have lunch and time to rest, then travel on to the Wahiba Sands — copper-coloured sand dunes rising up to 200m. Tonight we sleep in a luxury Bedouin-style tent.

Day 6 March 10. We’ll visit a Bedouin, then continue to Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain), to stay for two nights at Alila Jabal Akhdar, a mountain resort in this central section of the Hajar Mountains.

Day 7 March 11. On the way to the ancient capital of Oman, Nizwa, we’ll visit Jabreen, the finest of Oman’s castles, and Bahla Fort. In Nizwa, we visit the 17th century fort and souks famous for silver ornaments. We’ll see Oman’s “Grand Canyon” on the way back to our mountain retreat.

Day 8 March 12. We’re off to the ferry to the Musandam Peninsula, to stay in Atana Khasab.

Day 9 March 13. We spend the morning seeing parts of the peninsula and its main settlement, Khasab. There are terraced mountain villages, lush acacia forests and wadis (dry river beds.) We’ll see Khasab Fort, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz.

Day 10 March 14. We have a free morning, then join a floating hotel — a traditional dhow — and cruise to Khor Ash Sham, with dinner on board.

Day 11 March 15. We sail along Telegraph Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, with meals on board, but stopping along the way to swim and snorkel. Return to Atana Khasab.

Day 12 March 16. We travel to Muscat, with a spa treatment at Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa. We then go to the airport for the flight home.

Day 13 March 17. Back in Perth.

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Stephen Scourfield has a long history of travelling in Oman, and will add explanations, insights and special events to the tour. Yes, there will be music and performance.

PRICE & INFORMATION

$10,499 per person twin share, including flights, accommodation, most meals, special events. (Not including visa or travel insurance.)

$14,759 per single, including flights, accommodation, most meals, special events. (Not including visa or travel insurance.) Come to our Oman Information Event and meet other like-minded travellers.